It is time for you to ask yourself what is going right and what is going wrong in your business right now. Think hard about your processes, how you allocate work to your team, how you train your staff and how your market your products. Are all of these working in your favour?

Another way to “keep things real” is to place yourself in your customers’ shoes and consider what it is you see as you enter your store. This will help you to identify what may need to be improved as a priority.

Prioritise

On the subject of priorities, it is vital that you list these in an achievable order and decide what needs to be addressed first. Don’t be tempted to skip something because the results might be undesirable or uncomfortable, such as making changes to your workforce structure.

Similarly, don’t put ideas off because they seem like a hassle. If you think your shop window would benefit from digital signage, start looking into digital signage without delay!

Happy employees make for a happy workplace, and there is nothing worse as a customer than hearing members of staff talking negatively about one another or their management. Although it may be difficult to bond with some members of your staff, do your best to find common ground and go out of your way to make them feel valued by the company.

Fast Company, a website dedicated to the business sector, explains that workers who feel happy in their role are likely to work 12 per cent harder than those who feel indifferent to their job.

Spread the word

No matter how well business is going, it is always good to have people talking about your company. Think about new ways to market your business, such as asking for customers’ email addresses at checkout so that they can be signed up for newsletters and offers.

The key is to make your brand memorable and keep the customers coming back again and again.